Shark washed ashore trapped in net

A shark, more than two metres long and believed to be a bronze whaler, washed ashore on Auckland's Browns Bay beach just after midday today.

The shark was found by beach-goers with a recreational fishing net around its head, gills and tail, and attracted a crowd of curious onlookers.

A group of local boys removed it from the beach by winching it onto the back of a ute, and told onlookers they were going to eat it and use it for burley.

The shark was last seen at the back of a local fish and chip shop where the boys were planning to dissect it.

A Ministry for Primary Industries' spokesman said that as the bronze whaler was not a protected species, there was nothing illegal about removing the shark from the beach. However it would be illegal to sell it without holding a commercial fishing licence.